I bought the CD, but not the vinyl. The album is reasonably good. I mean, it's not a Pearl Jam record...but it's new and pretty good. I have not decided yet if I will buy the vinyl. I did buy the Brad album on vinyl.

BTW, did you see PJ this summer in the UK? I heard the shows over there were great! Eddie is still over there, IIRC, doing some solo shows. I am seeing Pearl Jam in September - Music Midtown in Atlanta. It's a festival so it won't be a full blown for-the-fans PJ show...but they have just not been touring the US in recent years, so it's better than nothing. PJ headlines night one and Foo Fighters headlines night two...so that will be great!

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No I did not see PJ this time, because it all happened stupidly far from me, living as I do at the ass end of nowhere. All in it would have been a £200 trip at least. I am holding out for a proper tour off a new album somewhere nearer to me, or a fan club show which would make it worth the extra expense of going to London.

Luckily though, I get to see Mark Lanegan in 2 weeks time, walking distance from my house, 300 capacity venue, for £15. I absolutely can't wait.

No I did not see PJ this time, because it all happened stupidly far from me, living as I do at the ass end of nowhere. All in it would have been a £200 trip at least. I am holding out for a proper tour off a new album somewhere nearer to me, or a fan club show which would make it worth the extra expense of going to London.

Luckily though, I get to see Mark Lanegan in 2 weeks time, walking distance from my house, 300 capacity venue, for £15. I absolutely can't wait.

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Well, now I see you live in Cornwall...I don't know where I got the impression that you lived near Manchester....So yeah....it was kind of far, wasn't it? Especially since the shows were mostly festivals.

New album next year...but it will be really interesting to see what they do, in terms of a tour. They played only two shows in the US in 2011 - the two nights of PJ20, which WAS in the middle of nowhere - Bumfuck, Wisconson. And in 2012, they are playing exactly 4 shows in the US - 3 festival shows and only one 'real' show - also strategically located in the middle of nowhere - Missoula, Montana.

Needless to say, especially in light of the 20th anniversary and all that, American PJ fans are NOT happy. Especially since during that same period they played all across Canada, South America, Central America and Europe.

I mean, what is that? You are an American band and in the 2 years after your 20th anniversary, which you made a HUGE deal over, you play only 6 shows in the entire country - and not even ONE of them in Seattle?

Anyway...I expect that they will have to give the US a decent tour next year after the record drops...because they have to know that we feel pretty slighted with this 20th anniversary thing by a band that WE made famous. We'll see though...

Cool that you are going to see Mark. He has such a great voice! I really liked Screaming Trees. And such a private venue at a great price! Can't beat that!!!

Both the Dire Straits albums arrived along with some Keane and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" but I've only listened through "Brothers In Arms" once so far because I've just been camping! Still, I liked what I heard. I'll be listening more over the next few days.

Well, now I see you live in Cornwall...I don't know where I got the impression that you lived near Manchester....So yeah....it was kind of far, wasn't it? Especially since the shows were mostly festivals.

New album next year...but it will be really interesting to see what they do, in terms of a tour. They played only two shows in the US in 2011 - the two nights of PJ20, which WAS in the middle of nowhere - Bumfuck, Wisconson. And in 2012, they are playing exactly 4 shows in the US - 3 festival shows and only one 'real' show - also strategically located in the middle of nowhere - Missoula, Montana.

Needless to say, especially in light of the 20th anniversary and all that, American PJ fans are NOT happy. Especially since during that same period they played all across Canada, South America, Central America and Europe.

I mean, what is that? You are an American band and in the 2 years after your 20th anniversary, which you made a HUGE deal over, you play only 6 shows in the entire country - and not even ONE of them in Seattle?

Anyway...I expect that they will have to give the US a decent tour next year after the record drops...because they have to know that we feel pretty slighted with this 20th anniversary thing by a band that WE made famous. We'll see though...

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True, although traditionally their tours across the States are pretty mammoth, no PJ fan can say they have not had ample opportunity to see them in the last decade. I don't know why they chose now to cycle down though, that does seem strange.

The number of shows they have done in the UK in the last 10 years is pitiful.

Cool that you are going to see Mark. He has such a great voice! I really liked Screaming Trees. And such a private venue at a great price! Can't beat that!!!

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I know, it's weird, because where I live is really not the sort of place rock stars come to play, it's more the sort of place they go on holiday.

I can only assume that Eagles of Death Metal gave us the thumbs up, as they played here last year and Mark is very closely tied to Josh Homme's projects, and they are the only two big rock artists to play here in the last 5 years.

True, although traditionally their tours across the States are pretty mammoth, no PJ fan can say they have not had ample opportunity to see them in the last decade. I don't know why they chose now to cycle down though, that does seem strange.

The number of shows they have done in the UK in the last 10 years is pitiful.

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Actually, not so true. They have done a lot of shows across the northern states...but they have been pretty much ignoring the South for the entire last decade. The last PJ show Atlanta (where I lived until last Sept) hosted was in 2003, for example (one night only too)....and Atlanta is by *far* the largest city in the South - 5 million people. And I know that PJ fans in Texas complain of the same thing. Very few shows during the last decade.

I think what you are saying is definitely true of the Northeastern U.S. - NY, PA, and states in that area have had multiple shows nearly every year...and those cities are so close together that the fans in one city could easily go to multiple shows in other cities as well, even! Shoot...I know people who, say, live in NYC who can go to 6 shows without even having to spend a night in a hotel, each time PJ comes through - which, like I said, has been nearly every year.

But fans in the South have had very few shows over the past decade. Most (those who had the money, anyway) have resorted to getting on planes, staying in hotels and renting cars up north.

NYC is nearly 900 miles from Atlanta, though...and if you think London is expensive, spend a night or two in NYC. Excluding the actual show tickets, for me to go to a show in NYC from Atlanta would cost about $600 in airfare, plus at minimum about $250 per night in a hotel - and that would not be a very nice hotel either. You can't eat in NYC for less than about $50 per day either unless you eat off of street vendors. Plus taxis to get around....because renting and parking a car there is enough to put anyone in the poor house.

Now...I'm a fan...but I am just not going to spend over $2,000 to see a Pearl Jam show. I just don't have that kind of money.

So...waiting for them to decide to play Atlanta again was the plan. And it has been a VERY long wait since 2003.

Well, the end result is I have not seen them since Binaural tour, which was years ago now. I will just shell out whatever I have to on their next tour though.

Say, have you ever heard of a band called Gruntruck? Seattle band, formed in '89. I just picked up their Push LP for a fiver at lunchtime, I remembered seeing the cover in Kerrang like 20 years ago, and just impulse bought it. I am listening to it now, it's fantastic. Just immediately hooky, riff laden heavy rock. Seems I l have been fortunate here.

I've been recording quite a lot over the last few weeks. As soon as I get my MIDI cable, I'll try a bit of writing.
Oh, PKTrekGirl? I kinda love "Money For Nothing" now and a lot of the others are growing on me. Thanks.

Picked up Little Big Town's new album, "Tornado" this last week and have to say while I don't think it's as good as Road to Here or A Place to Land, it's still very enjoyable. The production could be a little loud, but the harmonies are still there. Also, because of that, I've been on a Little Big Town binge lately. They really have released some good stuff over the years. They really are one of the underrated groups in the format.

I was channel surfing the other night and landed on Starz where an episode of "Strike Back", a show I've never watched, was ending. In fact, the closing credits were running. Over the credits a song was playing that caused my ears to stand at attention immediately -- that hardly ever happens to me these days. The chorus had the line, "This ain't no place for no hero..." The song had me rocking in my seat.

Immediately ferreted out the title of the song and the band's name on youtube. I had no idea the band was, "The Heavy", whose name I had at least heard of. I had heard "How ya Like Me Now". I've since downloaded their older album, "Great Vengence and Furious Fire" and selcted tracks from the newer one, "The House That Dirt Built" (including the aforementioned "Short Change Hero"). Great band -- unique and very acccompished songwriters, arrangers. and performers.

I have read their sound described as 'James Brown meets Jack White' -- quite appropo. They are a young band that can do "old" with style. This band just appeared at a club around the corner from where I live about 1-2 weeks ago. I wish I'de known then what I know now.